Smarter Oral Care

How to Evaluate Electric-Toothbrush Brands

A majority of dental problems, such as tooth decay, cavities, gum disease and bad breath can be prevented by simple, home oral care. Unfortunately most of us don’t do a very good job of it. Using an electric toothbrush can alleviate many of the mistakes we make when brushing our teeth, from applying too much pressure, or just not brushing long enough. Electric toothbrushes are powered-tooth cleaners that are designed to give a deep cleaning to get rid of plaque and food debris within the mouth. Some electric toothbrushes can retail for less than $20 while other higher-end models run upwards of $100. Here are some things to look for to get the best electric toothbrush for yourself and your family.

Instructions

Research the manufacturers of electric-toothbrush brands. Companies that produce oral health-care products will also often make toothbrushes. Some electric-toothbrush distributors include Oral-B, Sonicare and Colgate. Also consult with your dentist for a recommendation.

Find retailers that sell electric toothbrushes in order to view specifications for each model. You can purchase electric toothbrushes from pharmacies as well as big-box retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. If you go online to make your purchase, you can compare multiple brands on sites such as drugstore.com. The most important thing to decide is if you want a standard electric toothbrush a sonic electric toothbrush, such as the Sonicair. The bristles on a standard electric toothbrush oscillate at about 7500 rpm, whereas on a sonic toothbrush it’s around 30,000 rpm. The most significant difference however is the sonic toothbrush causes the fluids around the teeth to oscillate as well, causing a cleaning action up to 1/8th of an inch away from the bristles, this allows a sonic electric toothbrush to clean between teeth and below the gum line. Keep in mind though that a sonic electric toothbrush is quite expensive.

Two-minute timers

View the features and price for the electric-toothbrush brands. After deciding on the type of electric toothbrush you need to look at the features. On the basic level all electric toothbrushes have rotating, or another type of high speed brush movement, and that’s all you basically need. The additional ‘bells and whistles’ however can assist you in proper brushing technique. Some notable features include two-minute built-in timers as the ADA (American Dental Association) recommends a person brush for at least two minutes, either total time of 2-3 minutes, or a signal every 30 seconds to let you know to move to the next quadrant of your mouth. This is a great feature to have if you never brush long enough.

There are also warning signals when brushing too hard in certain brands or auto shutoff. People tend to brush too hard and this wears the enamel right off your teeth. Make sure the electric toothbrush you are interested in either turns off or sounds an alarm if you apply too much pressure.

There are variable speeds and different head sizes for different brands of electrical toothbrushes (it is nice to have smaller brushes for children or for people with braces). There is also a feature for power setting. This isn’t terribly necessary as obviously the most effective setting is at full power. The lower settings are for when people first start using an electric toothbrush and need to get used to it. This is good to have if children are going to use it as they are more sensitive to the vibrations of the unit. Base your buying choice on a combination of included features, as well as retail price. Also, find out if the electric toothbrush has a money-back guarantee trial period and warranty. As you compare features, chose features that are relevant to you and your interests in having an electric toothbrush.

More expensive brands have a base that you can place the toothbrush on to charge

Compare the charging system for the electric toothbrush. Cheaper models often rely on disposable batteries to operate, while more expensive brands have a base that you can place the toothbrush on to charge.

Read reviews of electric-toothbrush brands. Consumer-review sites compile editor and user reviews in order to provide the most information about products to consumers. One site you can try is ConsumerSearch.com.

If more than one person is going to use the electric toothbrush, then having easily identifiable brush heads is important

Make sure that the brush heads are easily replaceable. They wear out in 3 -6 months and will need to be replaced, make sure you can order or buy new ones easily. If more than one person is going to use the electric toothbrush then having easily identifiable brush heads is important, make sure they are color coded or otherwise easy to identify.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure you compare and research electric-toothbrush brands thoroughly, since you can usually not return the unit after use.